To Those who Love You
by fishy701
Summary: -post CoD- In an attempt to rescue Iroh, Aang and his companions get caught and captured by Zuko. They have failed again. The only way they can see to save the world now lies with Katara's ability to turn Zuko around. -Z/K-
1. Prologue

**So to anyone who dug this up after so many years, you should know this was written when I was like. 14. crazy, right? so it's pretty much a piece of crap, and you have my permission to never ever read it. in fact I would appreciate it if you didn't. but I decided to keep it up here in case anyone who read it all those years ago actually liked it. unlikely, but possible.**

**seriously though , don't read it. (/end self-depreciation)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender, nor do I own the plays which spawned this idea (Aida, Antigone). I am not responsible for any trauma you may go through while reading this piece of purely fan-made fiction, though I am sorry.  
**

**Summary:-post CoD- In an attempt to rescue Iroh, Aang and his companions get caught and captured by Zuko. They have failed again. The only way they can see to save the world now lies with Katara's ability to turn Zuko around.-Z/K- **

**To Those who Love You**

**Prologue:**

* * *

Iroh was, to put it quite frankly, annoyed with the actions of his nephew.

He had thought that he'd finally taught the lesson that so many of his royal ancestors and relatives had missed out on. He thought he had finally seen some sense in that boy. Values of acceptance, compassion, peace, and (above all) the difference between right and wrong are all things taught through loss. That was how Iroh had leaned them and years later it had been how Zuko learned them as well. His nephew had trusted him. That was good.

He had thought all this until the incident in the crystal catacombs of Ba Sing Se. Maybe, he reflected in his prison cell after wards, he had not enforced those values enough. After all, Zuko had many influences in the past to lead him away from values, such as a nearly homicidal father and sister (both ready to kill him after one wrong move). He had been under the pressure of Ozai and Azula_, but he will, in time, regret his actions._

_This _he thinks until now, when he sees the boy of twelve, the waterbender, the warrior, and the unconscious earthbender taken hostage by Dai Li agents, with his nephew commanding them all. Zuko has a devilish smirk on his face as the four go into separate cells.

He tries to think that he will see how horrible his actions were and he tries to think that he will become a better person. _That_ he tries to think until he hears the sobbing of a young woman in the cell right next to his.

* * *

Zuko had watched as Azula and her cronies left.

They were going to hunt for the avatar's bison, and the Earth King-more prizes to add to the collection-they had said, and Zuko was to be "in charge."

As he had guessed, Zuko hardly had anything to be in charge of. His position now left him with as much freedom and liberty as his position before Azula had left.

It had been clear to him that she had no intention of restoring any of his honor. No one could disobey orders of the fire lord, not even his daughter. _His "perfect" daughter,_ he thought.

That would have to change.

* * *

It was funny how all this fell into place really. Who would have guessed that the greatest heir to the throne of the fire nation would guess wrong? As Katara and Sokka's father had always said to them (while their mother was not listening-she never had to know where they learned such nonsense) 'When you assume things, you make an ass out of you and me.'

Yes, it was funny how Azula, firebending prodigy, had thought the avatar to be dead. And it was funny how her imbecile of a brother knew him better. And it was funny, when the four of them found the horde of Dai Li waiting for them around a corner, Right?

* * *

The avatar and his friends were on a steak out. They would wait quietly for Azula to leave and look for them ("because of course she will, the bitch has to have everything" Katara had said). That was their chance. Once the Princess was gone, and out of range, they would invade the palace and bust Iroh out of his cell.

After all, he had done nothing wrong to them. It had been Zuko that hunted them, Zuko that sided with Azula, and Zuko that had not helped them escape. The old man deserved freedom.

And not only did he deserve freedom, Aang needed him. He had no firebending teacher to speak of, and the solar eclipse was growing closer. He had spent quite a while in a coma. They had little time to waste, and Aang vowed he would not waste it.

* * *

Zuko, with several Dai Li agents waited outside of the prison cells. He was not so stupid as to assume the avatar was dead. He was not so stupid as to assume the avatar would not try to come back for his uncle, and he was not so stupid as to assume they would do it while Azula was still here.

They would know Azula would hunt for them and they would try to use it for their advantage. They would think of a way to get past him. They would fail.

* * *

Katara sits, her head down, in the corner of her prison cell. She can not fault anyone for the position she is in, and she knows it.

She had suggested it; they needed Iroh.

When they snuck into the palace, they had expected trouble. _Someone_ would, without question, realize what they would try to do with Azula gone. Sure the enemy was made up of stupid bastards, but they were very calculating, stupid bastards.

They had not, however expected trouble so late in their search, or in a cramped hallway, or in that big of a size.

The horde of Dai Li agents (plus one prince) immediately engulfed them. With Aang weakened, Toph confused by the dozens of soldiers she could sense, and without a large enough amount of water on hand, it had been clear they were losing before the battle had even begun.

Katara took action. She snuck in between brawls, picking some agents off silently on the way, until she was right behind the prince. She had seen the swords on his back in a glance, and in one swift motion was able to trap him. His blade was pressed against his own neck.

"Let us go." She had said, her eyes sifting through each Dai Li agent. It had taken effort to keep her voice steady. Time seemed to freeze.

The Dai lee had other ideas. Another blade was drawn. The agent had caught her brother in the same way she had caught Zuko.

She released Zuko.

He arrested her.

And now she is sitting in a small cell that seems bigger than it is because she feels so small.

_It's all my fault._

* * *

**A/N: This was not my first fanfiction, but my second. I actually wrote this last summer but lost interest until we finally started going in depth into literature in English class. Sorry I waited so long, and I hope you like it. You can probably expect an update in the next few days, but that is not definite. Please review; I could use some feedback. :)**


	2. Chapter One

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender, nor do I own the plays which spawned this idea (Aida, Antigone). I am not responsible for any trauma you may go through while reading this piece of purely fan-made fiction, though I am sorry.  
**

**Summary:-post CoD- In an attempt to rescue Iroh, Aang and his companions get caught and captured by Zuko. They have failed again. The only way they can see to save the world now lies with Katara's ability to turn Zuko around.-Z/K- **

**To Those who Love You**

**Chapter One: **

* * *

"You are all to be taken straight to the fire nation." Zuko speaks to his prisoners the following day. "The Avatar will be handed to the fire lord as will the rest of you. We leave in two days" 

As he leaves, Aang stares at the door of his cell, white with fear. He'd been caught. He blew it. There was no way to save the world now. He'd been foolish-_so foolish-the world needs me-I'm useless-Imightaswelljust-_

"Aang?" Katara calls. Her voice saves him. "We'll find a way to get our of this. I promise." Her voice is quiet, and worn after a night of sobbing. "We will still save the world."

"Alright, Katara"

* * *

Aside from the crappy food, and the lack of comfort, Sokka decides, prison life isn't all that torture some. He is now able to sleep all day, and he gets food brought to him three times a day. Food is never torture some. Unless it's poisoned (_The food isn't poisoned, is it? Dear Yue, I hope not._) They are allowed trips to the bathroom, but have to be escorted by a Dai Li agent each time. It's aggravating, but it isn't hell. 

Sokka, Katara, Aang, Toph, and Iroh would have occasional conversations. The old man really wasn't all that bad. Once they start talking, he discovers that Zuko isn't the only thing they have in common. (Zuko is cautiously avoided as a topic of conversation)

He can live like this for now, but tensions are still high. No one has come up with any way to get out of their prison. It appears that Zuko has taken more precautions in their imprisonment than his sister had. The only one who could bust them out (Toph) had been tied to a chair with her hands tied behind her back. She can't bend rope, and attempts to struggle free would probably end with the realignment of her spine if the chair falls. They are not at any moment free from a Dai Li agent's guard. They had never gotten a chance.

Everyone, it seemed, had lost any hope for freedom.

* * *

Two nights later, Zuko sits up in his bed. It is late, the night before they are to depart for the fire nation. 

His mind swims with thoughts. He thinks about his father. He thinks about finally coming home. He thinks about what will happen. He thinks about his nation, and he thinks about the war.

Zuko thinks about what the war cost people. He thinks about his mother. He thinks about that waterbender and whatever it is she tried to pull off that day he captured her. He thinks about what it was like to have your own sword against your own neck-what it felt like to know that if you make one wrong move, you could die at the blade of your own weapon.

He'd had that feeling before. Whenever he was with Azula-with one difference.

He thinks about what it was like to be pressed against the water tribe girl's chest.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

**A/N: okay, so this chapter was basically filler. I have only a bit more in my notebook, but I plan to spend tomorrow writing my ass off xD it will be fun. I added a speck of Zutara at the end there (am I grasping at straws here or is it just me?) please review :D  
**


	3. Chapter Two

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender, nor do I own the plays which spawned this idea (Aida, Antigone). I am not responsible for any trauma you may go through while reading this piece of purely fan-made fiction, though I am sorry.  
**

**Summary:-post CoD- In an attempt to rescue Iroh, Aang and his companions get caught and captured by Zuko. They have failed again. The only way they can see to save the world now lies with Katara's ability to turn Zuko around.-Z/K- **

**To Those who Love You**

**Chapter Two: **

With the exception of the soldiers, everyone boarding the ship had been a bundle of nerves. After all, who wouldn't be nervous when returning to a land you were exiled from, or plunging straight into the land of your enemy? Not to mention Zuko had made it clear to the prisoners that the slightest struggle would result in the death of everyone but his uncle and the avatar. (He had no intention of doing so, but with hundreds of powerful soldiers on your side it was hard _not_ to be intimidating.)

Zuko watches as the avatar and his friends are shoved into fresh new cells. There is no need to be nervous now. It's over. He had captured the avatar. Everything those past two years had been is over. He can go home.

He shudders on the way to his cabin. _I am going _home

* * *

Upon being offered a guest cabin on the ship, before leaving the prison in Ba Sing Se, Iroh had replied with silence. He had refused to talk to his nephew and the deal evaporated in less than a minute. It may not have been the best choice for his health, but he had the feeling the Avatar and his friends needed him.

Or more correctly they need motivation. What can he do? The savior of the world, just a twelve-year-old child, faces his darkest moment, and needs all that the world has to offer. Iroh finds his hands empty of aid.

He has no ties to the four children, but he feels their pain as if they were his own.

* * *

The five prisoners find their life in the ship prison just as boring and stimulation depriving as life in Ba sing se prison. The change of scenery offers no comfort to the group, but suffering to one of their members. Toph cannot see with her feet suspended off the ground, only feel the swaying of the ship and pray that sleep will overcome her soon. Several hours have passed on the ship and she finds herself unable to slip into the troubled dreams she had been plagued with for the past three days.

"Iroh?" She asks weakly.

"Yes, my friend?"

"Tell me a story."

Iroh finds a way to help them. He finishes his great tale, as the four drowsy children (aged beyond their years) fall warily asleep. He knows that sometimes, when there is nothing to be done, it is better to let your thoughts stray, so he helps them.

* * *

**A/N: well, it's not much, but I spent a long time doing this and it seemed like a good place to stop and post. Please tell me how I did without several months to think about every single detail. (That means review plztaythnx)**


	4. Chapter Three

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender, nor do I own the plays which spawned this idea (Aida, Antigone). I am not responsible for any trauma you may go through while reading this piece of purely fan-made fiction, though I am sorry.  
**

**Summary:-post CoD- In an attempt to rescue Iroh, Aang and his companions get caught and captured by Zuko. They have failed again. The only way they can see to save the world now lies with Katara's ability to turn Zuko around.-Z/K- **

**To Those who Love You**

**Chapter three:**

* * *

Katara had considered it a miracle when everyone fell asleep at the same time. Iroh's story had done its job of comforting them long enough for them to slip into a peaceful sleep, which most of them had not had since they had been imprisoned. As she fell asleep, she figured that after a night's sleep, people's spirits would rise a bit. They would finally think of a way to get out of this mess. 

She wakes up in the middle of the night, wondering what could have aroused her. She had always been a light sleeper, always first to wake up when traveling with Aang and Sokka. She tries to brush it off as nothing until she hears footsteps and the jingling of keys. She sits up silently as the glow of a flame comes into her vision. The light is not comforting, but casts haunting shadows across the floor of the ship.

For a moment, she is back in the caves below Ba Sing se, waiting to see who's face will be revealed after her eyes adjust to the harsh light.

"Who's there?" she asks, a note of fear in her voice.

A fire nation soldier comes into view, laughing. He is missing his helmet and Katara can smell the amount of alcohol he consumed. He moves to unlock the door as her face takes on a look of complete fear.

A drunken soldier. A fourteen-year-old girl. She goes pale.

He grabs her and starts to strip her down to her undergarments. There is a brief minute in which she just stands there. Then he presses his mouth upon hers, roughly, and she cracks. She struggles against him, wildly, but it does not phase him.

Katara panics: starts to throw him off of her-fighting him with all of her half naked body.

The crash of a metal door and strong footsteps are the last thing she hears before she is shoved against the wall of her cell-knocked unconscious.

* * *

When Zuko hears that one of his recruits has gotten into the brig of the ship, he reacts immediately. He had given them explicit instructions not to go see the prisoners-they were to be left alone. 

Different scenarios run through his mind as he rushes down stairs towards the depths of his ship. The prisoners could escape. They could attack his soldiers. His soldiers could attack his prisoners. _Madness,_ he thinks cynically.

Then it dawns on him that his recruits have not seen a woman in a long time and there is a teenaged girl below deck. He remembers their incident in the palace._A teenaged girl with a chest. Shit._

He slams the door of the brig open and runs inside, angry. Sure enough, the door to the waterbender's cell is open. His blood boils.

He finds the soldier forcing himself on the girl, his helmet off-the savage.

Zuko punches him in the head with all his strength (before he has time to look up). Both soldier and waterbender fall to the ground. The first thing he notices is that she is unconscious. The next is that her lips are swollen. Then finally he notices that she is in her undergarments. A blush covers his face, hidden by the dark surroundings.

"Zuko," his uncle demands. He has seen the whole thing. "She is not safe here!"

He looks at his uncle, grateful that he has finally talked to him. Then his expression hardened. "What do you propose I do about it, Uncle?"

He cannot see the plan formulating in his uncle's head. "No one would bother a prince's personal attendant."

Zuko sighs, resigned. "Alright."

He makes a note to buy clothes for the girl at the next port as he wraps her in her tattered robe and brings her to his room.

* * *

**A/N: Two chapters in one day! (GASP)**

**Sorry for the katara-rape. If it's any consolation, I had been planning this "plot twist" from the start. Call it rising action, call it whatever you want, but it's what works for me. Please review. Like I said last chapter, I want to know if my writing is any worse without several months to perfect it. **


	5. Chapter Four

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender, nor do I own the plays which spawned this idea (Aida, Antigone). I am not responsible for any trauma you may go through while reading this piece of purely fan-made fiction, though I am sorry.  
**

**Summary:-post CoD- In an attempt to rescue Iroh, Aang and his companions get caught and captured by Zuko. They have failed again. The only way they can see to save the world now lies with Katara's ability to turn Zuko around.-Z/K- **

**To Those who Love You**

**Chapter Four:**

* * *

Zuko settles the girl down in his bed silently, fumbling slightly. He leaves here laying there for a moment, annoyed. Then he looks at her-really looks at her as one would if you just met a person. 

It is the first time he sees her broken.

He is disoriented and has no idea what course of action to take other than to draw the covers over her and adjust the pillow. He tries to think of a way to tell her what had taken place gently and realizes he feels sorry for her. The waterbender he's always known- always strong, fighting for herself- is laying helpless in his bed. A sign of weakness, right?

Wrong. Zuko can barely remember what it's like to feel needed. To feel important and useful. To have someone to care for rather than needing care.

He shouldn't care for her. She is the enemy.

He works around the ruined girl with caution, taking a pillow and blanket off his bed and goes to sleep on the floor.

She is still asleep when he wakes up with aching muscles. He leaves her to rest, and locks the door on the way out.

* * *

The sun is shining in through the window when Katara wakes up with a throbbing head. She turns onto her side and snuggles tighter into the blankets, groaning. 

…_Blankets?_

She sits up and realizes she wears no clothes other than her undergarments. She remembers the events of last night._ How far could it have gone?_

At the jangling of keys outside the stranger's door, she immediately pales and hugs the sheet close to her body.

Zuko stands in the doorway and sees the fearful expression the girl wears as color slowly makes its way back into her features. The girl he sees is infinitely different than the girl back in Ba Sing Se or in the spirit oasis at the North Pole. For a minute all that is heard is Katara's ragged breathing.

Then, "I'm not going to hurt you."

_I don't believe that._ "What happened?"

"Nothing happened. I got to you before the soldier could do anything. He has been punished. You are in my room." The blunt statement does not offer enough of an explanation. Her eyebrows twitch in her discomfort.

"My uncle and I have come to the decision that you will be my personal attendant for the duration of our trip. That way you will not be bothered by the crew again."

"…"

"We'll dine in here for now. I will get some food for us. Tomorrow it will be the other way around."

* * *

"_But what do you care; you're the Fire Lord's son. Spreading war and violence and hatred is in your blood." _

* * *

He leaves her to get dressed in her tattered, blue robe and sit on the bed, confused. 

Personal attendant? _Zuko's_ personal attendant?

She knows why Iroh did this. It is obvious to her that she is supposed to get close to him-try to "lead him onto the right path," but she doesn't want to believe it. She is a slave. She is to serve a man with no shame-no morals. She's worthless. She is…_owned._

The one thing she had spent her life fighting against is happening. She is no longer her own person.

The door opens and interrupts her thoughts. Zuko walks in and places a tray of food down on a short table in the middle of his room.

Katara gets up silently and walks over to him. She slaps him. Hard.

His eyes narrow as he grabs her wrist roughly, warning her. For a moment they just stand there. Glaring at each other. (What Zuko does not say is how much of a relief to him it is that she is fighting back; what Katara does not say is that she is not sorry)

The minute he lets go of her wrists she starts punching him in the chest, eyes glistening with unshed tears. It shocks her that he does nothing to stop her. She collapses onto the floor at his feet, crying.

It shocks her more when he kneels down to wrap his arms around her.

From then on, it seems, they have come to a silent agreement. Katara knows she has been given a privilege to stay with the prince, and she will take it or have nowhere to go (He is the only familiar face on a ship of many). And Zuko knows that he cannot harm her, and will be civil or be at the mercy of his own attendant (He does not want to hurt her, nor be hurt by her). It is an odd relation ship, but all either can muster with their history together.

* * *

"_I'll save you from the pirates." _

* * *

**A/N: This was so hard to write. I knew it was going to be an unfathomably awkward chapter and I am surprisingly happy with the way it came out xD Sorry if it is a little OOC at the end there. I like it.**

**Thanks for your faves, alerts, and reviews, by the way. Greatly appreciated. :3 **


	6. Chapter Five

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender, nor do I own the plays which spawned this idea (Aida, Antigone). I am not responsible for any trauma you may go through while reading this piece of purely fan-made fiction, though I am sorry.  
**

**Summary:-post CoD- In an attempt to rescue Iroh, Aang and his companions get caught and captured by Zuko. They have failed again. The only way they can see to save the world now lies with Katara's ability to turn Zuko around.-Z/K- **

**To Those who Love You**

**Chapter Five:**

* * *

The next night, Katara lays exhausted in her new cot. It had been a tiring, excruciating day. She got a new wardrobe and mended the entire prince's (to be fair-they both spent hours doing things they detested doing.), served him dinner (which they ate in silence), and set up and made her new cot.This is (of course) not to mention the amount of mental strength it took to stand _Zuko _all day. 

She is exhausted, yet still has trouble sleeping. She tosses and turns; she cries and pounds her pillow with her fists silently. Finally she falls into a fitful sleep that is filled with the same horrifying dreams she's had for months.

* * *

Zuko wakes up that night at the sound of her screaming. He arouses her roughly-forces her onto her back-common sense clouded by a drowsy haze. When she sees his face she gasps as tears slip down her face. 

When confronted about the incident later she quietly replies, "I don't want to talk about it," and brushes it off. How can you tell the man who is trying to save you that he is the object of your nightmares-that his is the face of the man chasing and beating you down every night?

But Zuko keeps on pushing his question until the next night when she screams, "Fine! It's _you_, alright?" and rolls over harshly so that her back is facing her from across the room. She sticks her chin out stubbornly but her lips tremble.

Zuko should be angry. He should be furious that she couldn't see how he had changed. But he has not shown her that, and he knows it. To Katara, he has not changed, and he needs to.

So, In the last moment before sleep overwhelms her he says, just loud enough for her to hear, "I'm sorry."

Her dreams turn sweeter that night. They curve into a time she has never encountered. They turn to an imaginary time of peace.

* * *

**A/N: I should apologize for not going as fast with this chapter, but I won't because I just had two days of high school exit exams Dx  
**

** Although I have to admit that as soon as I stopped writing for a day, the floodgates to my idea bank opened. I was up until midnight last night getting ideas down (I now have the rest of the story all planned out). I am just tired now after getting up at dawn for the second day in a row Dx**

** In other news, I wanted to warn you all that the next few chapters will be taking on a different pattern. More like drabbles in the way that there is no definite sense of time. But they all lead to something-I just wanted to put in all of the love-comedy moments I thought up ages ago. Some will be short, but I promise I won't just give them to you one at a time.**

** Thanks to all my reviewers :3**


	7. Chapter Six

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender, nor do I own the plays which spawned this idea (Aida, Antigone). I am not responsible for any trauma you may go through while reading this piece of purely fan-made fiction, though I am sorry.  
**

**Summary:-post CoD- In an attempt to rescue Iroh, Aang and his companions get caught and captured by Zuko. They have failed again. The only way they can see to save the world now lies with Katara's ability to turn Zuko around.-Z/K- **

**To Those who Love You**

**Chapter Six:**

* * *

At first he is surprised by her tolerance of her new position. As his personal attendant, she now had many responsibilities. Drawing his bath, making his bed, doing his laundry, serving him breakfast, lunch, and dinner (he rarely joins the crew to eat outside his rooms. He prefers the privacy of his own table), cleaning up after him, as well as running errands for him around the ship ("Pick up this book from the library for me, would you?")-Her duties range far and wide, and he is surprised to see that she is already used to suck tasks.

Of course, there are always some things he refuses to demand of her-duties his servants had back home pertaining more to his hygiene than anything else (washing his hair, hand massages and foot rubs and other things that seems to stop just short of physically bathing him). He made her his servant to keep her innocence in tact, and he intends to do just that.

Therefore it is surprising and cruelly ironic (in his opinion) when she informs _him_ where she keeps all of the clean sheets explaining, "You're sixteen, I'm fourteen, and if you have an erection, I'm not cleaning it up afterwards." Apparently the girl (who is now intelligently smirking in front of him) is less innocent than he had thought.

He recalls that she has an older brother being kept prisoner downstairs, and that she is a healer. She knows a lot more about male anatomy than he gives her credit for. He suspects this is also how she learned to be so tolerant. She had always seemed to think of everyone before herself-however long he knew her. Well now he was going to give a little back. She never had to make his bed again.

* * *

**A/N: And that's drabble one. A funny one. Because I HAD to put something like this in. May I direct you do my disclaimer? The trauma part?**

**Anyways, there is more coming. I have the next couple chapters written down too, so it shouldn't be long. These drabbles are just the two bonding. they can be boring.**


	8. Chapter Seven

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender, nor do I own the plays which spawned this idea (Aida, Antigone). I am not responsible for any trauma you may go through while reading this piece of purely fan-made fiction, though I am sorry.  
**

**Summary:-post CoD- In an attempt to rescue Iroh, Aang and his companions get caught and captured by Zuko. They have failed again. The only way they can see to save the world now lies with Katara's ability to turn Zuko around.-Z/K- **

**To Those who Love You**

**Chapter Seven:**

* * *

Katara thinks one morning about breaking. She is broken. She knows this. Aang is broken. That's why she's broken. Toph is broken. Because everyone else was broken. And Iroh is broken. Sokka is broken.

The only one she can think of who doesn't seem broken is Zuko. She thinks of a time when he was.

* * *

"_Well, look at this. Enemies and traitors all working together. I'm done." she raises her hands in a gesture of surrender. "I know when I'm beaten. You got me. A princess surrenders with honor."_

_Iroh's gaze shifts from Azula to the line of his allies, distracted. Azula takes advantage of this and strikes her uncle with a bolt of lightning that blasts him five yards away._

_Katara hears Zuko scream. Zuko. The enemy they always thought heartless cries out for his uncle._

_The four of them attack her simultaneously, all thinking the same thing. Iroh is the nicest man she'd ever met, and does not deserve this._

_The place where Azula stands explodes, scattering debris everywhere._

_Azula has left. Zuko kneels beside his uncle. He seems to feel the agony of his uncle's pain himself as he clenches his fists and jaw._

_She approaches them, along with her friends._

"Get away from us!"_ he yells. His voice is forced. She hears the pain underneath it._

"_Zuko, I can help!"_

_He snaps. He throws a wave of flames at them._

"Leave!"

_They leave him and his uncle among the pillars of smoke rising from the ruins._

* * *

She does not think he is really quite fixed.

"You're close to your uncle, aren't you." It is spoken as a statement rather than a question. "I know he was close to you."

She would fix him.

* * *

The next day, Katara is given a chance to see her friends in the prison hold. The keys have been taken away from her reach and Zuko stands guard and the entrance to the brig, ready to take his "personal slave" way should any problems arise.

Iroh takes one look at the girl dressed in colors of a nation not her own and feels more hatred towards his homeland than ever before.

He takes another look, at her throat where her mother's necklace lies and realizes that she will not give up.

He sees the blue necklace and decides that Zuko _will_ regret his actions, sooner or later.

* * *

**A/N: In this one, I gave Katara kind of a childish, optimistic outlook. It is a little OOC but I wanted to portray the way she is always caring for others before herself-it's a main point in the story.**

**More to come. (I promise.)**


	9. Chapter Eight

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender, nor do I own the plays which spawned this idea (Aida, Antigone). I am not responsible for any trauma you may go through while reading this piece of purely fan-made fiction, though I am sorry.  
**

**Summary:-post CoD- In an attempt to rescue Iroh, Aang and his companions get caught and captured by Zuko. They have failed again. The only way they can see to save the world now lies with Katara's ability to turn Zuko around.-Z/K- **

**To Those who Love You**

**Chapter Eight:**

Katara does not cease to surprise him. Zuko sends her on an errand one day to pick up a book from the ship's library. (It is one from the earth kingdom. He grows tired of his own country's literature.)

She comes back with an armful of books and scrolls for herself. It is something for her to do in her spare time.

"While we were _traveling_," she explains with a hint of steel in her voice, "We never really had a chance to educate ourselves thoroughly enough. I plan to take advantage of this little predicament I'm in."

Zuko has never really thought about her literacy before. After seeing the state of her village, he had assumed that most of the tribe could not read or write. He had again been proven wrong.

From then on, she can often be seen sitting on her cot, reading a history or solving a mathematical figure, flipping through a medical journal or dissecting a line of poetry or a metaphor in a novel.

While she learns from books, he is learning from her. He learns that she is a dreamer and an artist, not by visual means but by her memorization and performance of classic monologues. He learns that she has a delightful singing voice, one night when she thinks he is asleep. He learns that she has an endless amount of empathy, when she asks about his scar. He learns that the range of her experiences it vast and entertaining, when she tells him stories. He learns that she will not stand for anyone speaking against her. He learns that she is stubborn and determined and that she does not give up. He learns that she is not to be underestimated.

He learns how to maintain his first friendship-even if that friendship was only made on the ugly circumstances of war.

It makes him wonder what circumstances they would have without the war. He supposed it would have made for one life more lived, in her case.

He is honored to give her a chance to live her life more.

* * *

**A/N: This is probably the last of the drabbles, though I am not comepletely sure. Zuko has started to regret the war his ancestors started. It will come to a height later.  
**


	10. Chapter Nine

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender, nor do I own the plays which spawned this idea (Aida, Antigone). I am not responsible for any trauma you may go through while reading this piece of purely fan-made fiction, though I am sorry.  
**

**Summary:-post CoD- In an attempt to rescue Iroh, Aang and his companions get caught and captured by Zuko. They have failed again. The only way they can see to save the world now lies with Katara's ability to turn Zuko around.-Z/K- **

**To Those who Love You**

**Chapter Nine:**

* * *

One day, far away from the shores of the earth kingdom, he lets her free on the deck of the ship, deciding he owes her that much. She roams straight to the bow of the ship, a peaceful expression on her face, and starts to play with the water below her. 

He watches her do this and is grateful that she is not below deck, with his uncle and the avatar. She wouldn't have had this kind of peaceful expression otherwise. He'll never admit it, but he doesn't like to see her in pain.

While he thinks, staring at the girl before him, a storm cloud makes its way over the horizon. They do not see it, but are made aware of its presence befo-

…It's too late. The skies turn grey as clouds form and grow above them and raindrops lightly tease their skin. Then it grows heavier, and Zuko knows he cannot steer his ship out of the storm.

"Katara."

Her head turns up at his command as the ship begins to sway dangerously. _Like a true servant,_ he thinks. The thought is not a comforting one.

"I need you to keep this ship safe; I need you to waterbend."

She does. He ushers every one below deck as she is at work, bending smashing waves away from the ship. He stares back at her as she moves vivaciously, cutting through each current that comes her way.

She is drenched from head to foot (He thinks he probably is too, but he does not care). She works for hours and he can tell she is tiring out. He sees through the look of determination on her face as her limbs begin to shake.

She is a symbol, he decides; a blazing icon of what this war has cost the world. Her strength is slowly diminishing, similar to that of the rest of humanity.

And he is helping. Here she stands before him, a reminder of what he is doing to the world. He is…_a monster_.

The thought drops from its post of looming over his head only to sit, perched on his arm and gnawing at his brain.

Then the girl falls-thrown by the wave she couldn't tame with her last bit of strength. Her eyes close before she lands, in Zuko's arms.

He carries her, fighting against rain, wind, and the tumultuous swaying of the ship beneath his feet.

* * *

He places her shaking body down on the bed once again, but this time he climbs in with her-keeping her warm with strong arms. 

Laying there with her, he thinks of the girl in his arms. The girl who always cares for others before herself. The girl who's life he is ruining every day. Zuko is guilty. He cannot stand the thought that this girl he now cares for so profusely thinks badly of him. She thinks of him as a monster and she is right. He wanted so badly to make it up to her.

His arms tighten around her before he falls asleep.

* * *

**A/N: I have the next chapter written and typed but I needed a concrete response to this one and I need you guys to focus on this:**

**I need to know any of my strengths and weaknesses as a writer-things like my use of figurative devices, flow, vocabulary, anything you think is significant or lacking in my writing. Any comments will help! Even the totally brainless "ZOMG INCREDIBLE" comments and flames. no kidding. please.**

**review plz-taythnxbai **


	11. Chapter Ten

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender, nor do I own the plays which spawned this idea (Aida, Antigone). I am not responsible for any trauma you may go through while reading this piece of purely fan-made fiction, though I am sorry.  
**

**Summary:-post CoD- In an attempt to rescue Iroh, Aang and his companions get caught and captured by Zuko. They have failed again. The only way they can see to save the world now lies with Katara's ability to turn Zuko around.-Z/K- **

**To Those who Love You**

**Chapter Ten:**

* * *

They both wake up in the same second.

Katara is disoriented and disquieted. Her eyes go wide when she feels his arms around her waist. She remembers the last time she woke up in his bed.

Zuko breaks away and pushes himself out of the blankets. The contrast in temperature makes the hair rise on the back of his neck. "Sorry. You were cold." It is an awkward statement and lingers in the air.

And somehow it startles her even more. He shouldn't be the one helping her. He was an enemy. She sits up in his bed. Her eyes point downwards at her hands.

"Why are you doing this?" she asks with steel in her words. Tears gather in her eyes.

With this question, Zuko knows he is not redeemed. After all he's done for her. He grows angry. He has done so much for her and _this_ is the response.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Katara's voice cracks. Zuko is silent. His eyes narrow at her only to grow wide at her next statement. "Why can't you be one or the other? Good or bad! You're supposed to be my enemy!"

So that's what she thinks of him. He is only an enemy.

"And maybe for a minute back in that cave, you were an ally, but that Zuko is gone! Why are you acting like he still exists?"

Her tearful eyes look glare straight into his wide ones. This is when he finally cracks. This is the moment when he admits to himself that he cares for her.

There is a minute when all Katara senses is complete stillness. All of the hurt Zuko has given combined with weeks of friendship rail back against him in that one moment of anticipation and disappointment. She wonders which side of him will be brought out.

The good Zuko-the hero who saved her from some horrible fate with the shadow of her nightmares- or the bad one-the one who chased, captured, turned against, and imprisoned her and her friends: The one that lied to her and fought her and tied her to a tree?

The moment passes and he kisses her, hard. It is not experimental but a passionate statement. The gesture is a shock to her. She doesn't return his kiss.

Doesn't return it. Obviously.

He breaks away and she stares forward, paralyzed as a tinge of red makes its way into her cheeks.

Zuko runs-bolts out of the room and slams the door shut as she sits there, frozen.

_What did I just do?_

* * *

It takes Katara minutes to realize that he left. It takes her less than a second to realize where he went.

She runs after him with all the speed she has to the deck of the ship. The maze of hallways is ignored, her path lain out in front of her.

He is there. In a weak stance at the bow of the ship. She pauses.

They are the only ones on deck because of the stormy weather. Nobody will see him if he does. Nobody but her-the one who rejected him. Zuko thinks of all the times he's been rejected. He is tired of rejection.

He is going to jump.

She takes a step forward and his muscles twitch. She stops-looks him in the eye.

Something had changed in her gaze. What was once a painful glare filled with hate and fear is now a gentle look-cautious and serious but still filled with happiness. He did not want to leave those eyes behind now that he's seen them. His earlier plan is left abandoned.

She runs to him-grabs him by the arm and pull with all of her weight back onto the deck of the ship. His weak stance is all that allowed her to do this. For a moment he finds it ironic that he was knocked down before jumping.

That is before she lands on top of him, legs embracing his muscular form.

She kisses him back. The kiss is passionate and Zuko is surprised once again how mature she is. He wraps his arms against her waist and she arches her back at his touch. She draws back and looks him in the eye as shivers run down her spine.

The rain drenches them. It seems to rinse him clean of his former self. Just like the girl on top of him.

* * *

**A/N: Alright, here it is :3 there is one more chapter I want to update tonight.**

**Please review, and please check out the oneshot I wrote today C:**

_**Fishy :3**_

_**yawns**_


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender, nor do I own the plays which spawned this idea (Aida, Antigone). I am not responsible for any trauma you may go through while reading this piece of purely fan-made fiction, though I am sorry.  
**

**Summary:-post CoD- In an attempt to rescue Iroh, Aang and his companions get caught and captured by Zuko. They have failed again. The only way they can see to save the world now lies with Katara's ability to turn Zuko around.-Z/K- **

**To Those who Love You**

**Chapter Eleven:**

The same night they both lay silent in their beds, neither one able to sleep.

They are both content with their feelings-they both knew the others passion-but there is something on Katara's mind, and Zuko knows it.

Finally, she gets up, out of her bed, quietly and hesitantly and walks over to him. He waits for her next monologue but it does not come. He sighs and pushes himself up so that he is upright, and puts his feet on the floor like he had many times before on their journey.

She sits next to him and starts to deflate.

"What's wrong?" he asks, genuinely concerned.

The question makes her flinch. He winces inwardly, while wondering what on earth could bother her this much. He knows she can deal with almost anything, but now she is slumped over, her mouth a thin line, and her eyes give off no friendly or playful gleam. He would even have settled for an angry glare. Instead they cry of emptiness and worry.

The last time he has seen her this defeated was when she held the body of the avatar in her arms in the catacombs of Ba Sing Se. Or maybe it was back when he had imprisoned her after their attempt to rescue his uncle.

He reaches for her hand, but she draws it away.

Is it him? Did he ruin everything again? Was she taking back her feelings for him? Did she regret their passionate kissing in the dark shadows in his room?

That had been nice. Or at least it had for him, he thought.

He is anxious to hear her reply.

"Zuko…What do you think…about the war?" She is almost afraid of his answer.

It does not come.

"I mean, do you think this war is _right?_ Because, you've told me what that war cost you and I know how you got that scar. You've seen the toll it takes on the world. I don't think you could be that…cold-blooded. Do you think it's justified?"

Zuko sighs as a veteran would and finally answers in a weary voice, "…No. I don't"

"Then why were you supporting it? Why did you chase Aang?"

"It was the only way I could get back home." She knows of his banishment already.

"I know that. I mean, why do you want to get back so bad? It sounds horrible-living in silence all the time, feigning ignorance of all the inhuman things the war does. What's keeping you from rising against your father like you tried to in the first place?" Her voice is steady and gentle but it still hurts.

Why was he supporting this war?

His father. It was for his father. He hates the war. He always had. But he wanted his right to the throne back.

"I want my crown back, that's why." His voice is angry.

"But at what _expense_, Zuko?" She says this with more force than she had earlier. "What do you think will happen if you bring Aang to the firelord? Without him here to save the world, the war will finish itself and not in a good way!" She gets louder with each sentence. She starts to yell. "You may be home after you kiss your father's feet, but everywhere else, things will still be just as horrible if not worse. You've seen what they do! You know what they've destroyed! Think what will happen to the rest of the world. Think what will happen to me. To us." Once again tears form readily at her eyes.

"I could take care of you. As long as you're with me, you can't get hurt."

The tears fall but her voice remains steady and without cracks. "But I can't…keep being with you if you go through with this. I would never be able to look anyone in the eye again."

He thinks about it for a while. Sitting there with her.

His whole damned journey had brought him around the world and shown him things he never would have seen otherwise. He'd gone through a whole transformation. He'd had experiences no other teenager his age would have had to see. He had wanted nothing more than to be home. But what would _home _be like now? Even if things did return to the way they were before the war, is it really worth the trouble? Would he still be looked down upon? Would he still be second best next to his sister? With his mother gone, could he really be happy with his life there? And with his uncle in prison?

And after he had seen what he had seen, would he fit in there at all?

His uncle had always said that the only thing better than finding what you were looking for was finding something you weren't at a great bargain.

Did he want to let that something-_someone-_go?

"You're right." It is the first time he has said that in a while and the only time he has ever said it to her. He starts formulating a plan in his head, a note of mischief showing in his eyes.

"In one week," he says quietly, more sure of himself than he has ever been. "We will outsmart the firelord."

* * *

Katara smiles and hugs him-tackles him to the bed and kisses him tenderly. He is shocked by the sudden display of affection, but goes along with it.

The drowsiness catches up with her finally after a good portion of an hour was spent kissing him and snuggling in to his chest. (It was the first time since her imprisonment she had been able to let go of the haunting thoughts about the fire nation.)

She falls asleep peacefully-her hand across Zuko's chest and her head on his shoulder. Their legs are intertwined. They lay on the covers of his bed comfortably and he is grateful to see her sleep without nightmares.

It is the third time she lays asleep on his mattress. This time Zuko knows nothing will change when they wake up.

He holds her tightly for a moment and falls asleep much happier than he has been in a while.

* * *

**A/N: that's probably the end. if you want more, then you'll just have to review and say so.**

**Sorry I didn't focus on Aang and the prison block gang. I cant do anything I don't feel like doing. If I do another chapter it will be how Zuko and Katara fool the firelord, but I have no idea how I would approach that scene. I'm no good with that epic kind of stuff. I am better at sentimentality than action.**

**Thanks to all those who reviewed and faved and so on and so forth. I am going to add myself to that beta reader thing soon. too busy now. but if you want me to beta for you, you have that to look forward to.**

_**Fishy **_**:3**


	13. Chapter Twelve part one

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender, nor do I own the plays which spawned this idea (Aida, Antigone). I am not responsible for any trauma you may go through while reading this piece of purely fan-made fiction, though I am sorry.  
**

**Summary:-post CoD- In an attempt to rescue Iroh, Aang and his companions get caught and captured by Zuko. They have failed again. The only way they can see to save the world now lies with Katara's ability to turn Zuko around.-Z/K- **

**To Those who Love You**

**Chapter Twelve (part 1):  
**

The sun rises over the ocean early one morning as prince Zuko stares nervously at the clump of islands on the horizon.

He hadn't been able to sleep. He is finally going home that day. After two long years. Maybe more. He'd lost track sometime after the first couple of months. It just didn't seem worth the effort after that. He'd lost hope. So now he stands on the deck of his ship with the promise of a raging battle circling over his head. It is a beautiful day and the cloudless sky seems to taunt him.

One year ago he never would have thought he'd be standing here now. Or if he did he would not have imagined it like this.

He would have been standing tall and proud, on the verge of success, with a heroic expression on his face. He would have the avatar in chains behind him and he would see his father's proud face before him as he strutted into the throne room.

Zuko imagines this and is suddenly glad that he doesn't _strut_ anymore. It made him look arrogant. No wonder his old crew despised him.

A part of him realizes that the whole scenario really isn't all that ridiculous and that it could still happen if he wanted to. _I could get my honor today if I wanted to._

He brushes away the thought immediately. He doesn't want to. He had what he wanted now. And besides, the girl's words would always haunt him if he did.

"_Think what will happen to the rest of the world. Think what will happen to me. To us."_

He glares at the land gathering on the horizon and broods for a while. His eyes close tight, shielding his tired eyes from the sun.

His father had never wanted him home anyways. It didn't take an idiot to figure that out.

"_Dad's going to kill you. Really, he is."_

How could he forgive a father who burned his own son?

A small hand on his shoulders tugs him away from his thoughts. He turns around to face Katara, who is smiling at him drowsily.

"You're up early," she says, amusedly. Her face is kind.

"Technically, I'm up late," he says with a rough voice. "I couldn't sleep."

Her expression turns to one of worry.

"You know everything's going to be okay, Zuko. We know what we're doing. There's no way we could-"

"It's not that. It's just…I don't think…I don't know what…" He trips over his words until he trails off.

There is silence while he tries to get his clouded mind to think straight.

"I don't…I don't know," he lies. He knows very well what is bothering him.

His father's towering image looms before his eyes. The last time he saw the man, he had been given his scar.

He doesn't know what to think about his father anymore. He doesn't know what he would do when he saw the man again. He doesn't know if he'll be able to kill him.

"I'm going to try to sleep now." He starts making his way across the deck.

"I'll come with. I'm not gonna stay up here alone." She smiles at him.

Zuko stops walking and turns around. He takes another look at the girl before him-the girl who trusted him with her life-and vowed that he would never let her down again.

He kisses her and all his doubts evaporate in the blazing sunlight.

* * *

**A/N: This is IMPORTANT D:**

**I need a beta reader. badly. I can't seem to get the last scene right (it's fight scene) and I can't get around it. Either someone helps me write the last part or the story will have no end. Or I could ruin it by telling you the ending I planned on and get it over with. You're choice.**

**PLEASE REVIEW. and IF YOU WANT TO BETA, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. **

**I need help :(**

**-Fishy701**


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